


Backless Dress and Beat Up Sneaks

by Darkmagyk, IaMcHrIsSi



Series: Happy AU [3]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, part of the happy AU fix it verse, seriously, this is a romcom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-29
Packaged: 2018-05-10 01:25:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5563387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkmagyk/pseuds/Darkmagyk, https://archiveofourown.org/users/IaMcHrIsSi/pseuds/IaMcHrIsSi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leia isn't exactly a woman of leisure, but her mother would likely still think she is too good for this. Han, on the other hand, is pretty sure this is a great way to reconnect with his rootes and might have beens.<br/>Or<br/>Han and Leia check all of the terrible romantic comedy tropes: relationship built on miscommunication, pointless angst, dangerous street races at deadly speeds, pining, Alderaanian royalty, secrets, bar fights, supportive best friends and siblings, Jedi, and happily ever after.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Backless Dress and Beat Up Sneaks

The light is artificial, even more so than everywhere else on Coruscant, and an interesting combination of engine oil, alcohol and sweat can be smelled everywhere. The noises of betting people and starting engines are drowning out everything else, but to be honest, Leia has rarely felt so free.

She's wearing dark trousers and a black leather jacket, her hair is up in a messy bun and a borrowed blaster sits on her hip. The vibro blade her mother gave her for her last birthday is securely in Leia's boot, and she has engine oil smudged in her face. She fits right in.

Carefully, she closes the hood of her speeder, having done some last minute adjustments for the race. She's registered as Sabe Naberrie, relying on the fact that outside of Naboo nobody will recognize that name _(and hoping that Aunt Sabe never finds out about this)_ and today will be her very first time participating in the Pit Races of Coruscant.

Leia is just a bit nervous. She is not afraid she will crash, even though the Pits are legally.... difficult, the organizers made sure that there's some basic security for the racers, it's harder for the law to look the other way when racers die every other day and she knows herself well enough to know that this parkour is not something that will challenge her. No, what she's nervous about is... well, it's the people. She knew coming here that there would be many rough elements, and lot's of drunk people as well, but knowing it and seeing it are two different things.

She knows her mother would not approve of her being here, though her dad just might. He always says that as long as she doesn't start in pod races, everything is fine. She misses Luke, though, who had wanted to come with her, even though he wouldn't have started himself, but who had been called away at last minute to help their mother with some diplomatic emergency. She doesn't even want to think about what that could be, mostly because most politics bore her anyway. She very much prefers to solve problems straightforward instead of discussing them in committees.

Anyway. Leia Skywalker is a Jedi, trained by Ahsoka Tano, Jedi Master, hero of the Clone Wars and youngest member ever elected to The Council. She will not be cowed by some drunk guys.

The next race, Leia's race, is called up. Quickly she jumps on her speeder, steering it to the starting line. For the first time, she gets a clear look at her competitors. There's a Torgruta with an elaborate speeder that looks as though it was really expensive, two Twi'leks chattering on amiably in a language Leia doesn't understand, a Miralan who seems to be meditating, and two humans, one who is glaring at everyone and the other one, right next to Leia, who is smirking at her. He looks handsome, she notices, but pushes the thought away quickly.

There is a sign in front of them, and everyone puts on their helmet. A thrill goes through Leia. She is really doing this!

A wall of warmth surrounds her for a moment, and her brother's voice sounds in her head. _You can do this. Good luck. Have fun._ He says, and she smiles, thankful that he is thinking of her.

The flags go down. As one, the speeder engines roar to life. Leia can _feel_ the movements of the others, her force sense sharpened to an almost painful degree. She tries to focus on the distance she has to cross. Three laps in through the tunnels, with dark places and some mean corners.

By the end of the first lap, she is leading the race, with two of the racers, the Torgruta and the glaring human, so far behind her that she doesn't think they will catch up any time soon.

One of the Twi'leks misjudges a dark corner on the second time they pass it, crashing her speeder into the wall. She doesn't seem to be injured, but the flying pieces of the speeder distract Leia for a moment. When she can focus on the road again, another racers leads the field. It's the smirking human, she thinks, and curses.

The third lap is a fight for leadership. Leia manages to take the lead due to a particularly good banking maneuver her dad showed her years ago, but the other human triggers some mechanism and just flies above her for a moment, retaking the first place. She only peripherally notices that the rest of the racers have fallen behind, not close enough to attack any of them.

Finally, the end of the race comes into sight. In a corner, Leia outmaneuvers her rival for the last time, and clings to her lead position until she is over the line.

When she stops, she sees that the other man finished not even a second after her. She smiles, and takes off her helmet.

Suddenly, the noise is all back. Leia had tuned it out during the race, but now she can hear it all, and she is extremely surprised by just how loud the people are cheering. The other racers come over the line, one after the other, save for the Twi'lek who crashed. Leia can see her over at the medical tent, looking a bit disappointed, but not too injured.

Leia's rival comes over to her, and for a moment she is nervous. What if he is angry that she caused him to loose the race? She is pretty sure she could take him in a fight, but she really doesn't want to pull out her lightsaber and reveal to everyone who she is.

But as the man takes off his helmet, he is smiling, no resentment in his (very nice) eyes. He seems amused by this turn of events, actually, and not in a bad way.

“Nice race!” He says. Well, actually he has to shout to make himself heard. “This your first time around here?”

“Yes!” She shouts back, grinning. "I normally race in the south quadrant speed ways." They are slightly more legal and much further from the senate district and everyone she knows. But everyone knows the real action and challenge is in the pit races. “Is it always this loud around here?”

“Yep.” He grins, and dang, does he look good. “Want to grab a beer after they give out the prizes?”

The prizes. Leia had almost forgotten that there is something to be won in those races. She nods, anyway, and tries to cover up her momentary confusion by asking for his name.

“Solo.” He says, and offers her his hand.

“Sabe.” She lies, and smiles.

* * *

A wet towel lands in Han's face and rather suddenly wakes him up. He groans.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. Mom is going to be here in three hours, and your apartment looks like shit.” Winter says, her voice crisp and unfairly awake. Han loves his little sister, he really does, but there are times he hates the fact that she only seems to need half as much sleep as he does. Even though she is right in that he should really clean up before their mom arrives.

At least this time, he does not have a hangover.

Last night had been... nice. Very nice. After losing the race to Sabe, he had invited her to a beer, and they had talked. Mostly, they had compared their speeders, discussing different engines and wiring tricks. By the end of the night he had not been drunk, but very happy, and very much hopeful to meet Sabe again.

“Hey, are you daydreaming? You _just_ woke up!” Winter is standing right in front of him, and Han realizes that he has been staring into empty air for the last few minutes. His little sister smiles.

“Did you meet someone?” She asks, somewhat slyly.

“... Possibly.” Han answers. He doesn't even know whether he'd ever meet Sabe again, doesn't even know her last name, or if she has one, but... he'd really like to meet her again.

“Tell me about her!” Winter says, sounding exited. For a moment, she almost looks like she is five again, asking her big brother for stories, even though her dressing gown looks almost to perfect to be real and not one white hair is out of place. Han has never been able to say no to her when she looks at him like this.

“Her name is Sabe. She is a new racer down in the pits. Knows everything about all sorts of mechanics, and an amazing pilot, too. Beat me in the race.” He can't help it, he grins. Winter looks pleased.

“Sounds like someone who can keep you on your toes. You need someone like that.” She says, looking serious. She is always concerned about his love life.

“I've only met her once!” He protests, but it's halfhearted and he knows it.

“Anyway, you might want to finally clean up the apartment. And yourself. Mom won't be impressed by this get up.” Winter says, grinning just a bit, and Han throws the wet towel back at her.

* * *

They do meet again. Not a week later, they are racing through the pits again, Solo beating Leia by half a second and lots of luck, as he admits later on.

They go for beers again, and end up showing off their speeders. Leia learns that Solo is Correllian, and that he knows lots of dirty little tricks to make his engines go faster, but then again, so does she. She tells him she's from Naboo, and pushes away the guilt she feels for lying. She wants to be seen as herself and not the Jedi daughter of Master Skywalker and Senator Amidala, whose birth created a galaxy wide scandal, just this once.

“Racing feels like... it feels like freedom.” She tells Solo, and she sees in his eyes that he understands, that he feels it, too.

“It's as though all your troubles, all worries, all duties and all that... it just goes away, at least for a few moments. You feel the wind in your bones, and it feels as though you could do _anything._ ” He tells her, and just for a moment, she feels as though she has found someone who gets her almost as much as much as Luke does.

At the end of the night, Solo asks her out. As in, asks her if he may take her dancing. He's polite about it, and very nice. It makes Leia's stomach flutter a little, and she is still smiling when she comes home.

“You look happy.” Luke says when she comes home, and she doesn't deny it. It would be pointless, anyway, because Luke always knows what she's feeling anyway. Perks of an incredibly strong force bond.

“I met someone.” She just says, grinning. She is perfectly aware that she looks like a love struck teenager, which she _isn't,_ thank you very much, she is (almost) twenty and not love struck or anything like that. She's just... happy.

“He must be something.” Luke replies, putting his datapad down and looking at her. She's still wearing her racer attire. Mom would be scandalized to see her like this, but Luke just, well, _knows_ her.

“He's... nice. A racer. He wants to take me dancing.” She tells him, putting away the blaster and the vibro blade and removing her lightsaber from the inside pocket she'd tucked it in earlier.

“Sounds awesome. Do you want me to come with you?” It's something they have done often, to join each other on their dates. If the person can't handle both of them, they're not good enough anyway. But this time, Leia doesn't want that.

“Not necessary. I have a good feeling about Solo.” She says, and grins.

* * *

Han takes Sabe dancing on a wonderful Tuesday night. He'd considered inviting her to one of the upper class clubs Winter once or twice dragged him to, but then he'd have to explain why he could afford that, and why the people there know him, and he really didn't want to do that, at least not now. He really doesn't want to risk ending up the cover story of a tabloid tomorrow.

Sabe thinks he's just a Correllian named Solo, and that's not even a lie, at least not really. He just... didn't mention the part where he was adopted by the Queen and Vice-Roy of Alderaan when he was ten, making him Prince Han Organa. He has a feeling she might run for the hills if he told her that.

So, Han brings her to one of the dirtier, uglier clubs near the pits. The music is deafening, there's lots of sweaty dancers, and the whole place looks in dire need of a wash. Sabe seems absolutely delighted.

She pulls him into a dance right away, surprising him by her refined style. They sway with the music, feeling energy pulsing through their veins. The feeling of Sabe in his arms, close and happy and warm, is something that Han can't even begin to describe.

“Do you like it?” He shouts to her when they get themselves drinks, and the glint in her beautiful brown eyes is everything he ever wanted.

“It's amazing!” She shouts back, and kisses him on the cheek. Then she giggles as Han stares at her, a grin slowly forming on his face as he touches the spot she just kissed. He shouldn't be this... shocked. He's had girlfriends before, knows how this works, but somehow, with Sabe, it's... different.

He almost wishes he could escort her home at the end of the night, like a good boyfriend, but for one, they are not actually together (yet) and also, he doesn't know where she lives. So, he just kisses her hand in an overly dramatic fashion and tells her he had fun.

She smiles, wonderful brown eyes sparkling, and Han can't stop smiling for the whole next day.

* * *

It becomes a thing. Solo and Leia competing in races and him then taking her dancing. They sometimes spend hours discussing their speeders, just the two of them, figuring out he best ways to make a speeder go even faster, take turns sharper. And dancing in the clubs... it's nothing like Leia expected it to be, but it's so damn near perfect that she really doesn't care.

Well, in the mornings, when Ahsoka expects her to be up early so that she can join training, she curses her late nights sometimes. But well... it's worth it.

Her mother of course notices that she seems more happy, as does her father and Aunt Ahsoka. All three of them tease her about it, and want to meet her new friend, but she doesn't tell them anything. She doesn't want them to mess with this. She only tells Luke, whenever they are alone in the temple rooms they officially don't share _(though everyone knows they totally do)_ , relaying stories and experiences and describing her races to him. Luke is Luke, the best brother she could imagine, and always listens.

“Do you have family?” She asks Solo one day, after another won race. He smiles, his happy smile, the one that is sincere.

“Sure. My mom and dad and my baby sister. They're awesome. What about you?” He seems very at ease, completely normal, but something.... seems off.

“My parents, twin brother and two younger siblings, a brother and a sister.” Leia tells him.

“Annoying younger siblings or endearing ones?” Solo asks with a smirk she's coming to lo.... like.

“Both. At the same time. They're the best, but sometimes... What about your sister?” She says, thinking about Obi's earnest expression when someone (Mara, it is literally always  Mara) pranks him, about So's borderline fanatical determination to get every form _perfect_ , even if it means cornering Master Billaba outside of Senator Syndulla's apartment for her opinion on different Form III opening stances.

“Mostly endearing, but to be honest, she wouldn't be my little sister if she wasn't annoying sometimes.” He tells her, and that's something Leia can absolutely understand.

* * *

Later, Han is not really sure how it happened, but somehow they end up in a bar brawl. They had only been there to get some beer, and some greasy fries, but before they knew it, someone had punched someone else and then the whole bar was fighting.

He ducks a punch from the left, and kicks out a Togruta's legs under him. Looking to Sabe, he sees her end a Rhodian who was trying to jump her with a beautiful upper cut. It distracts him long enough for a sleazy human to get the drop on him, and suddenly he is lying on the floor. He trips his attacker, letting go of his military training to fall back on all the tricks he learned as a street kid on Correllia.

Above him, Sabe swings a chair and knocks out some guy who was trying to attack Han. A Twi'lek tries to hit Sabe, and is rewarded with getting the rest of the chair thrown at his head.

And, just as suddenly as the brawl started, it ends again. Han is lying on the floor, his lip split, and his arm aching, but still conscious and not really hurt, Sabe is standing above him, eyes burning and apparently not noticing the blood that runs down her face from a small cut on her forehead.

They stumble to a hotel together, fixing each other up in the flickering light of the dirty fresher, and all Han wants to do is kiss Sabe.

* * *

Solo takes her out for dinner. He insists it's not a date, because the restaurant is super dirty, and the dinner is cheap and not really good, but all of this doesn't matter, because he is grinning at her, making jokes and just being his usual, handsome, sarcastic self.

“Let's hope we'll not end up in a brawl this time around.” Leia says, and he smiles, reaching over to the place where the cut she received on their last bar brawl is still visible. Though, at least this time she didn't leave her lightsaber under her pillow.

“I hope not.” He says, his voice slightly raspy, and suddenly, it feels as though his hand is burning on her face. It's difficult to breath, and for a moment she thinks...

Then Solo pulls away, shaking himself a bit. Leia takes a deep breath and tries to calm down. Nothing happened. Why does it feel as though there are dozens of butterflies loose in her belly?

* * *

Han takes Sabe to meet Lando maybe a month after first meeting her. His old friend has a little shop set up near the pits, conning naive strangers out of all their money. Lando grins when he sees Han approaching, and he immediately bends down to kiss Sabe's hand, charm all turned up. To Han's badly concealed delight, she does not seem to be charmed at all.

“Well, who have you brought here, you old hunk?” Lando asks, and Sabe looks like she is not sure whether to be charmed or insulted. Han grins.

“Lando, this is Sabe Naberrie, the best racer of the pits. Sabe, this is Lando Calrissian, a very old fried of mine. He's a smuggler and a con man, but he knows how to have lots of fun.” Sabe grins somewhat shyly at being introduced like this, and it's the most beautiful thing Han has ever seen.

Lando, however, true to form, immediately starts questioning Sabe about all the races she's flown in, how she beat Han and subtly, without her really noticing, about what exactly her relationship with Han is. Han notices that she never answers Lando's more personal questions, always dances around them, and can't help but grin.

“Have you ever been on the Falcon, my dear? Wonderful ship, that one. Very fast, and amazing to work with.” Lando says, and Han rolls his eyes. The same thing, every time they meet.

“Of course I've been on the Falcon. Solo showed me. Why do you know it so well?” Sabe asks, dark eyes sparking with interest.

“Because it used to be mine.” Lando says, attempting to sound bitter, though not quite managing it.

“Until I won it fair and square in a game of sabbacc.” Han cuts in, and Sabe grins.

“I'm still trying to prove he actually cheated.” Lando says to Sabe, leaning in conspiratorially. She just looks at Han amusedly.

That evening, Lando bets a sizable amount of money on Sabe winning the race. He invites them all to dinner from his wins.

* * *

The alley next to the pits is dark, and probably dangerous, as well, but Leia doesn't truly care. She can take care of herself, and so can Solo, she is sure. And anyway, standing in this alley, Solo close to her, so close, she has so many different things on her mind than some vague dangers.

She's won the race today, finishing a few moments before him, as usual, and for once Solo had bet his money on her, making them both winners. There was cheering everywhere, people chanting her (fake) name, and Lando had been there, too, she remembers.

But all of this doesn't matter, because Solo is leaning in, his hands brushing over her face lightly, tracing her hair, cupping her cheeks. His eyes, dark and brown and deep, are burning into hers, filled with fire and affection and something else... love, maybe.

She pulls him close, and then his lips are on hers, warm and wonderful and exiting and _perfect_. His arms are around her back, pulling her flush against him, and just for this moment, nothing else matters.

* * *

“You seem quite distracted, my son.”

Han realizes that he has been staring at the black scarf for a few moments now. He shakes himself, trying to concentrate on his dad standing right next to him, but Sabe's scarf, here, in his apartment, makes it a bit difficult. He must have had it in his jacket when he came back last night, he realizes.

“It's nothing, dad.” He says, but he knows he's not fooling his father. Bail Organa, viceroy of Alderaan and Senator for twenty years, can tell when someone, especially his son, is lying to him.

Sure enough, dad's got an eyebrow raised when Han lifts his head, looking at him with an amused expression.

“You look mightily in love with “nothing”.” He says, and something in Han freezes. In _love_? He likes Sabe, sure, he really likes hanging out with her and racing with her and their …. other activities.... are fun, too, but in love?

Then he remembers the way her eyes spark when she smiles, the way she turns to him after winning a race, eyebrow raised, the way her voice sounds when she's shouting over the cheering in the pits...

_Oh **kriff**._

* * *

Skylar's tiny hand in hers, Leia wonders whether this was such a good idea. Ahsoka had asked her to look after her daughter, and Leia knows this place here is more or less safe, at least as long as Skylar stays with her, and Skylar will love the speeders, but... Skylar is four. She is tiny, and the pits are not made for children.

Still, Leia doesn't turn back. She sees Lando's little shop, sees Solo in front of it, and decides it will be fine. The life of Jedi is one of calculated risks.

Skylar, her warm hand still in Leia's, just stares at everything with huge blue eyes. Ahsoka's daughter has been fascinated by ships and mechanics from the moment she understood what those things are, a fact Leia knows for sure, because she was there when Skylar began to understand those things. As Skylar's mothers padawan she is also the designated babysitter, something Ahsoka has never been shy on making use of.

Lando is waving at them, seemingly rather surprised to see Skylar. Leia can't fault him, she's never brought anyone here before. Let alone a small Togruta.

Smiling, she goes over to them. Solo greets her with a smile and a soft kiss, while Lando just lifts his hand and is then distracted by offering Skylar some sweets. The little girl smiles at him shyly, and Lando beams.

“A daughter you forgot to mention, Naberrie?” Solo asks, eyes sparking with mirth.

“Nope. My ma... aunt's daughter. She's busy today, so I promised to babysit for a bit. I hope it's okay to bring her here?” Leia tells Solo, keeping an eye on Skylar, who has been lifted on a small table by Lando and is eating some Correllian chocolate, looking very happy.

“No problem. No races for you today, then?” Solo asks, still smiling. He looks rather handsome like this, Leia thinks, and grins.

“Nah. I promised to look after her, can't do that if I fly around in the pits. But Sky here really loves ships, and mechanics, and racers. So I thought I'd show her around a bit. As long as she sticks close to us, everything should be safe for her.” She explains, and Solo nods.

“Makes sense. Do you want to show her our speeders?” He asks.

“Yeah, she's going to love them. But, no matter what you do, she is not allowed to fly them, okay? She can be really convincing when she really wants something, but my aunt would end me.” The last thing Leia needs is Skylar telling Ahsoka that Leia allowed her to fly a race or something like that. Ahsoka is awesome, but that would most certainly be too much for her. She had been there for Ahsoka’s 45 minute rant, when she had forbidden any of them (but especially Dad) from teaching Skylar to fly a second before she was 8.

“Sure. Do you really think a four year old could convince me to allow her to fly a real speeder?” Solo seems incredulous, but mostly amused.

“You don't know Sky yet.” Leia tells him, and hopes that Sky does not use a force suggestion on either him or Lando.

Apropos Lando, she thinks, and turns around to find him making faces at Skylar. The little Togruta is giggling delightedly, still eating her chocolate.

“Never pegged you as someone who would be this good with kids, Calrissian.” She tells him. He grins.

“Practice, dear. With the number of ladies I ... _entertained_... it's only a question of time until one of them comes back with a kid. I've made a point to learn. And Sky here is adorable, so that makes it easier.” He seems so sincere about it, Leia can't help but laugh. Next to her, Solo is laughing to, one of his arms snaking around her waist.

It's a good day.

* * *

The beat is still booming from the club next to the dingy, dirty hotel Han and Sabe checked in earlier, but Han doesn't even truly notice it.

How could he? Sabe is lying in his arms, her skin on his, her hair spread out on the sheets, dark and long and beautiful. Her breath is going slowly, and she sleeps peacefully. It's not the first time he's seen her like this, but it always takes Han's breath away.

He feels a bit like a creep, watching her sleep as he does, but he can't help it. It's in moments like these that he is the most aware of the fact that all this is temporary. He can't hide the fact that he is a prince of Alderaan from her forever. It would be wrong to do so, and honestly, one day she is going to figure it out. She knows he doesn't live in these parts of town, and one day she will realize that he owns to much money to live as he pretends he does, or she will recognize him from one of the holo gossip rags, or he will slip up and say something, and then it will be over. He can't imagine her staying with him when she realizes that he's been lying ever since they first met.

One day, he will loose her. And that hurts much more than he wants to admit.

For the moment, though, he just pulls her closer, breaths in her scent, engine oil and sweat and some sort of flower, and hopes that the end will not come too soon.

* * *

“Does he know your real name?” Luke is always asking the important questions. He's perceptive like that, especially when it comes to Leia.

 _What do you think_ , she thinks, slightly annoyed. She can feel Luke, warm and familiar and comfort and always in the back of her mind. He's slightly skeptical now, a bit protective. _Relationships built on lies often don't last,_ he sends, and she knows he just wants to protect her from heartbreak, which makes this all the more annoying, because she knows he's right.

She flops down on the couch next to him, leaning into him. His arm finds it's way around her shoulder without either of them thinking about it, and Leia relaxes.

“I just don't want... I want someone to actually look at me and see _me_ , not Jedi Skywalker. I don't want him to run when he learns that my dad is a Clone War hero. Or my mother is one of the most powerful people in the galaxy. Or that my birth caused a restructuring of a millennias old organization. For once, I want just... not to have any expectations on me. Is that so wrong?” She asks, voice quiet. But even if she had been to quiet to be heard, her brother would have understood.

“I don't think it's wrong. You have a right to that. But... is Sabe Naberrie really the whole you? What about the part of you that is a Jedi? The part that is proud to be Ahsoka Tano's padawan, the one that identifies as Tatooinian every time someone asks? Don't you want this Solo guy to meet that part of you, too?”

* * *

It's Friday, and Sabe has not been in the pits for almost a week. Han is starting to get anxious. What if something happened to her? He does not even know where she lives. Maybe she needs help? Or maybe she decides she doesn't want to spend time with him anymore. Maybe she found out about his lies, or she just isn't interested anymore, or....

“Are you Solo?” An unfamiliar voice asks, outer rim drawl low and harsh. Han's hand immediately goes for his blaster, old street rat instincts still working, but the stranger doesn't seem hostile. She almost sounds bored.

“Depends on who's asking.” He says, and looks over the stranger. It's a woman, around twenty, reddish blond hair up in a messy bun, wearing brown, dirty leather. There's a blaster on her hip, and the way she holds herself makes him think that she's probably hiding at least one other weapon on her body.

Now, she rolls her eyes. “I don't want anything from you. Sabe send me. She's off planet for a few days, something came up. She thought you might worry, so she asked me to tell you that she can take care of herself and that you really should stop assuming that that is not the case.”

Han grins. He can't help it. It feels as though a huge weight has been lifted of his back. Sabe is okay! And she is not tired of him, or wants to leave him, or anything!

For a moment, he considers hugging the stranger, but he has a feeling that that might get him shot. Instead, he just thanks her.

“Nothing to thank me for. I'm Annie. Show me the speeders? L... Sabe said I can look at them.” The stranger, Annie, asks.

Quickly, Han leads her to the speeders, and learns to his surprise, though he guesses he shouldn't have been surprised, really, that Annie knows a lot about mechanics. And speeders. And Huttese swear words. Sabe swears too, in Huttese and other colorful languages, but not quite as much as Annie. Lando, who comes by after a while, is delighted.

They end up betting on the races, and Annie walks home with enough money to buy all of them a beer.

“I’ve never met any of Sabe’s friends before.” Han tells her over his beer. She’s drinking something much stronger, at about twice their rate. The only real difference is that she takes a break after every drink, closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and seems to center herself. And she doesn’t seem nearly as drunk as Lando.

“Not even Luke?” She says after a moment's pause.

“Who’s Luke?” And Han has a bad feeling about this.

Annie raises an eyebrow. “Her twin brother.” She clarifies, and then “She never mentioned Luke?”

“I knew she had a brother.” Han says, almost defensively, “I just didn’t know his name.

Annie’s stare doesn’t reassure him. It's...kind of disturbing. It reminds him of being 17, and Obi-Wan Kenobi visiting Alderaan because of a small coup to kill the royal family.  When gathering information Master Kenobi looking at him as though he could see through him and into his mind, his soul. He feels like Annie is doing the same thing. It occurred to him that he’s thought Sabe _could_ do that, but she’s never tried with him.

Then she says, “Well, I only just got confirmation of your existence.” She offers, “and I assume because she didn’t trust Luke not to ruin this mission.” She didn’t say how a brother might want to ruin his sister’s dating life. And it's not like Han needs a diagram.

So instead he asks, “You didn’t know I existed.”

“I guessed. We all guessed. Girl walks around with that kind of smile on her face for so long can only mean one thing. But she wasn’t talking. Didn't even know whether you were a guy or a girl.” Annie says, taking a sip from her beer. "She's even worse with you than she was with that artist when we were fifteen. Sabine. Never thought I'd see her grinning that much again, but here we are."

Han decides he’s going to ignore the secret, and concentrate on his girlfriend being happy. But Annie seems to have gotten distracted by something on his face.

“You do look familiar though. Have we met before?”

Lando shoots him a frown from next to Annie. Before cutting in.

“Solo’s been a regular on the pit race circuit for years now. And he has the highest number of wins for any human, though Sabe’s catching up real quickly.”

“I don’t know the pit races.” Annie shakes her head, “We mostly keep to the south quadrant speedways. Until Sabe decided she wanted to do something more professional. This was my first night watching these races.”

“And you won that much cash?” Lando is trying to change the subject, but it helps that he sounds so incredulous.

She fixes her eerie gaze on Lando, “I’m a good guesser.” She says flatly, outer rim accent becoming more pronounced.

After that, the night becomes a pleasant, fuzzy blur, but Annie does leave him with the promise that Sabe will be back soon enough. She does not say where Sabe has gone.

Walking home, Han realizes how little he still knows about his girlfriends life.

* * *

The artificial rain she knows is drenching the upper levels of the city doesn't quite reach the lower levels, allowing Leia and Solo to walk through the streets dry.

There's no race today, some Coruscanti holiday being the reason the pits and most of the clubs and restaurants have closed for the day.

Sometimes, Leia thinks it funny that she has grown up on this planet, spend her whole life here, but has never truly felt Coruscanti. If asked, she's say she is a Jedi first, a Tatooinian daughter of the desert second, and a Nabooian third. Coruscanti just doesn't enter into her identity. On some of these holidays, she can't help but spend the whole day wondering about this paradox.

Today, however, she wonders about Solo, instead. For all they've been together for six months now, have known each other for almost a year, she does sometimes feel as though she doesn't know him at all.

“Why did you come here? To Coruscant, I mean.” She asks him.

“I... there's nothing on Correllia for me. And Coruscant just has the best racing pits.” He says, seemingly at ease. But... Leia has been trained in the Force since she was just a small child. She has always been able to tell when someone is dishonest with her. What Solo just said... it's not exactly a lie, but she gets the distinct feeling that he left out something rather significant.

“What about you?” Solo asks, and Leia scrambles for an answer. She doesn't want to lie to him, is well aware of the hypocrisy of being angry at his lies while not being honest herself, but … if he were to find out who she really is... wouldn't he leave?

“Work. My parents moved here for their work, I mean, and, well, I've grown up here. Mom's still very connected to Naboo, though.” She hopes she sounds convincing, but something in Solo's expression tells her that he doesn't truly believe her, either.

Something sinks in her stomach, even as she forces herself to smile.

* * *

“She's lying to me, I'm sure of it.” Han says, taking the booze Lando offers. Something stronger than beer, he notices, but to be honest, he's happy about it. He needs something strong today.

“What is she lying about?” Lando asks, looking compassionately. Han grimaces. He doesn't want pity.

“Everything? She never really talks about her home, and I'm sure she lied about her parents. First she tells me she's from Naboo, then she says she grew up here, on Coruscant. Her accent is all core world, no way this girl has lived on Naboo for long. Nothing fits! I don't know what she does for a living. Hell, we've been dating for half a year and I don't even know where she lives! How did this happen?” He laments.

“Maybe she has her reasons?” Lando suggests.

“What reasons should she have? It's not like she is … the princess of some planet or something. What reason would she have to lie about her life?” Han's whining, and acting a bit hypocritical, but for the moment, he doesn't care. He just wants to wallow in his misery.

* * *

The crowds are cheering once again, as Leia and Solo finish the race immediately after each other. Leia wins, like usual, and she knows that there's lots of money waiting for her and Solo at the betting stalls, but something is... off today. She forces herself to smile for the crowds, but the moment she and Solo are alone, the smile drops.

“Good race.” He says, but it sounds almost angry.

“Yeah.” Leia replies, matching his tone.

“I didn't know you had that repulsor recalibrated on your speeder.” Solo tells her, and she rolls her eyes. Leia's not sure why she is this angry today, but his continuous half truths might have something to do with it.

“Well, there's lots of things you don't know about me.” She retorts. A few weeks ago this would have been an invitation, today it is an angry dare.

“Which is not my fault, is it?” Solo says.

“You're never honest, either. I don't see why I should be the only one telling the truth.” Her words are meant to cut, but deep down, they hurt her as much as they hurt him.

“We're both liars, then. Good to know. Does that mean we should change?” It's not an offer. The way Solo says it... Leia wants to strangle him.

“Can you even change?” She says, voice harsh and cold.

“So you think we're done here?” Solo asks, and for a moment, Leia wants to stop this, wants to scream no, that they can work this out, but her anger wins out.

“We're done.” She says, and leaves without looking back.

* * *

He drowns his sorrows and his anger in alcohol. Lando supplies him more and more whiskey, looking rather concerned. Han doesn't care.

The next morning, he wakes up in his apartment. Dimly, he remembers staying at Lando's, and figures that his friend must have brought him home. He should probably be grateful, but in this moment, he just feels like shit.

He walks to the 'fresher slowly, not quite sure on his legs yet. After the shower, he finally starts somewhat alive, and goes for the kitchen.

Winter is sitting there, reading on a data pad. Some newspaper, probably, or the newest law proposal she wants to bring to the senate. As he enters, she raises an eyebrow, but thankfully doesn't say anything. A caf is already waiting for him, hot and good, and Han considers hugging his little sister. She probably wouldn't appreciate his wet hair messing up her dress, though.

“Rough night?” She asks, perceptive eyes picking out the dark rings under his eyes, the way his shoulders are slumped down.

“Sabe and I are done.” Han replies, considering to add a shot of something to his caf. Winter is still eyeing him, though, and he thinks she probably wouldn't approve.

“I'm sorry.” She says, and there is something soft in her eyes. It's not pity, which Han is thankful for. He is pretty sure he wouldn't be able to deal with anyones pity today.

“Me too. I'll be fixing up my speeder today, and probably drinking quite a bit. Stall mom and dad for me if they call?” Han asks.

“Only today.” She smiles, and this time, Han does hug her.

* * *

Leia wakes up in Luke's arms. She hasn't shared a bed with him in months, but after the catastrophe that was yesterday, she needed him. And he hadn't mentioned it when she started crying, which was awesome of him.

“Are you okay?” Her brother asks, his eyes still closed. Leia snuggles closer to him, trying to ignore the ache in her heart.

“I will be.” She answers, and hopes that that's the truth.

“I can beat him up if you want me to.” Luke offers, and Leia smiles.

“I could do that myself if I wanted him hurt.” She says. For a moment, she entertains the notion of finding Solo and punching his pretty face in, but she knows that that wouldn't actually solve anything.

“I don't doubt it.” Luke tells her, and pulls her a bit closer. Leia knows she should get up soon, go to training with Ahsoka, but she can't imagine leaving their rooms and pretending that she's fine.

“We could call dad and say we caught the flu. Visit mom and stay at hers for today.” Luke says, and if she wasn't already hugging him, she'd do it now.

“You're the best!” Leia says, and she means it.

“Of course I am.” He answers with a loopsided smile, and pulls out the com.

* * *

Dad shows up for dinner. Han feels as though he should have expected it. He's been hiding with his speeder for more than a few days now, and while he knows Winter won't rat him out, neither mom nor dad are stupid. They _know_ him.

“Are you okay, son?” He asks, kindly ignoring the tear streaks on Han's dirty face.

“Not really.” Han snorts. He closes his eyes. “I miss her.”

“She must have been something.” Dad says, leaning back a bit. He is looking at Han in a way that always makes Han want to tell him everything. Han thinks it's something Dad must have picked up in the senate, where all those politicians like to lie to each other.

“She is.” Han says, taking a sip from his beer. “Her name is Sabe. She is pretty, clever, sharp tongued and wonderful. And she also lies as easily as most politicians do.” He sounds bitter, he knows, but he doesn't really care.

“You lied to her, too, didn't you?” Dad asks. _Just as perceptive as Winter,_ Han thinks, and curses his family for knowing him so well.

“Yes.” He answers simply.

“So it's not all her fault.” Dad states, and Han nods. He _knows_ it's his fault as much as his. He's just too stubborn and angry to really admit it. Or to find her and apologize.

“Yeah.” He says, and almost cracks a smile as Dad tries to help him with the mechanics. _(Spoiler: Dad does not actually know much about speeder mechanics)_

* * *

“You don't look too good, Leia. Are you sure you don't still have that flu?” Mom asks, and Leia wants to roll her eyes. She knows that she doesn't look to good. She also knows that a flu is most certainly not the reason for that.

“I'm fine, Mom.” She tells her. “Just haven't slept all that well for the past week.” It's not a lie. Even sharing a bed with Luke again, something that has always been the best medicine against any nightmares, Leia can't really sleep. She absolutely refused to blame heartbreak for that, though.

“Your father is worried, too, and Ahsoka says you seem distracted. Are you really okay?” Mom asks, and Leia just wants her to leave. She loves her mother, sure, but she's not Luke, who has always been closest with Mom, and she never told Mom about Solo, knowing she wouldn't approve of her daughter with a racer, and so her mother of course can't understand why Leia is currently hiding out in her apartment, unwilling to truly face the world.

“I've... just had a rough few days. I'm going to be okay, I promise.” Leia tells her mom, and makes herself smile in a way she knows will at least deter her mother for a few days. Then she changes the topic.

* * *

Winter makes sure that her brother is in the garage, tinkering with his speeder, before she takes out her com. This might not be the best idea she's ever had, but Han hasn't left the house in two weeks, so honestly, she just has to do _something._

“Luke? Remember that idea we've had a couple months ago?” She asks her old friend. Her and Luke have known each other since they were children, but they've only actually become friends in the months since she has become her fathers aide in the senate and he became the Jedi's.

“Setting up Han and Leia for a blind date? Sure I remember.” He replies, looking rather worried.

“Han has had a _bad_ breakup. And... I've tried everything to get him out of his funk, but nothing is working. So, I thought...” She tells Luke, whose eyes start glinting.

“You thought that maybe, we should send him and Leia on a date?” Luke asks. He seems to consider it. “To be honest, Leia hasn't had the best few weeks either. She's broken up with her boyfriend, too, so maybe... even if it's just a rebound that gets them to stop wallowing in misery...”

“So you think this could work?” Winter asks hopefully. She really doesn't have any better ideas than this, and she can't let Han continue his drinking and hiding.

“It's worth a shot. You convince your brother to go, I do the same with my sister. Should be interesting, at least.”

* * *

The restaurant Winter has chosen for the blind date is very pretty, one of those upper class hang outs that make sure everyone knows they're upper class. Han feels slightly out of place in his dark leather jacket and black trousers. He takes a deep breath, reminds himself that he is the Prince of Alderaan, adopted son of Bail and Breha Organa, and that yes, he is allowed to be here, and asks for Winter's reservation.

The waiter points him the way, expression very bland. Han is not sure whether the man disapproves of his choice of clothes, but Han had figured that he shouldn't lie to the girl on their first date, not this time.

Han hadn't really been all that eager to come here, to go on a date with a stranger when he is painfully aware that he is not nearly over Sabe, but Winter had insisted. He knows his little sister worries, that she has noticed the way he drinks too much, and so he had agreed, mostly to make her stop worrying.

The table comes into sight. An Alderaani flower is set in it's middle, blue and beautiful, but Han doesn't truly notice it. His eyes are pulled to the woman sitting behind it. She is wearing a gorgeous black dress, sleeveless and ornate with small silver pearls in a way that spells money. Her hair flows down her shoulders, dark brown and shining and free except for a thin braid extending from just behind her right ear to a few inches longer than the rest of her hair. Her arms are muscled, but still feminine, and he thinks her skin would be very smooth under his hands.

Then the woman looks at him, and he almost drops his purse.

“ _Sabe?!”_

* * *

Leia sits at the table Luke reserved for her. If it had been anyone but him coming to her with an arranged blind date, she probably would have slapped them, but Luke knows her. He wouldn't do this if he didn't think she'd need this, so she had ground her teeth together and come here.

She looks on her crono. Is her date late? She'd made sure to be here early, and if her date doesn't show up...

A man is nearing the table. She can't see his face, only notices how he suddenly stiffens, staring. Then he sits down, and it's Leia who sucks in a breath.

“Solo?” She whispers, not quite able to believe that he's here.

“... yeah.” He says, apparently just as confused as she is.

She wants to say something, ask what he is doing here, how he knows Luke, but the words seem stuck in her throat. All she can do is stare at him.

At least Solo doesn't seem to be able to form words either. He just sits there, open mouthed, eyes boring into hers. He is wearing another jacket, she notices. Black this time, and much cleaner than the one he wears in the pits.

“May I bring you something to drink?” Leia flinches violently, as does Solo. She had not seen the waiter coming to their table.

“Ahm... I'd like a water.” She forces herself to smile. The waiters expression is completely blank, if he noticed her flinching, he doesn't show it.

“Me too.” Solo raps.

“Of course.” The waiter says politely, playing up his upper class accent. Leia waits for him to leave before looking back to Solo.

“What...?” She wants to ask, but before she finishes the question, the door of the restaurant explodes.

* * *

A shower of glass splints goes down, and Han throws himself over Sabe. _(Sabe!!!)_. She doesn't seem that happy about it, and of course she isn't. She is capable of defending herself, as she told him often enough.

Before getting up, he pulls his blaster from the holster in the jacket. Sabe pulls a grey cylinder from … somewhere, and Han has a moment to wonder what it is before a blue light appears and Sabe puts the lightsaber in front of her.

He wants to ask her about it, wants to know how the world he did not know that Sabe is apparently a _Jedi,_ but in that moment, a group of thugs dressed in black stumbles through the door. They point at Han, and scream something about Solo and races.

Han groans. Apparently, someone is not happy about how much he won during the bets on that last race he flew with Sabe.

The thugs pull out blasters and start shooting, but Sabe brings up her lightsaber, deflecting any shot long before it could reach either of them. Han falls into step beside her, shooting whenever one of the thugs is stupid enough to come into his line of sight.

It feels... strange, and familiar, to fight like this. He's been in more bar brawls with Sabe than he bothered to count, and even though Sabe is fighting with a freaking lightsaber instead of her fists, it's still easy to fall back into the rhythm they developed months ago. It's almost maddening, truth to be told.

Quickly enough, the last thug falls to the floor. Han looks at Sabe, seeing the familiar fire in her eyes, and realizes that he was never going to get over her.

* * *

 Leia stares at Solo, feeling... warmth come up in her. The look in Solo's eyes is intense, and wonderful, and she wants to cross the room and kiss him, but something crashes through the door, and she points her lightsaber in that direction instead.

Several cops fill the room, and for the first time since the fight started, Leia really looks around. The restaurant is trashed, blaster holes everywhere. The other guests and the waiters are hiding under the desks, some of them looking rather shell shocked.

“Knight Skywalker, Prince Organa, I'll have to ask you to give your statement on what happened here.” The deputy says. He seems exited, but Leia doesn't really look at him. _Prince Organa_. Force, she is so stupid.

Solo looks shocked, too, though, so at least she wasn't the only one.

* * *

After giving their statements to the deputy who seems rather exited to meet to people as famous as him and Sabe... Knight Skywalker, the waiters compliment them out of the restaurants. Han has a feeling that they won't be welcome here any time soon, but he honestly doesn't care.

He pulls his companion in an alley beside the restaurant, and looks at her. She is still beautiful, the fire in her eyes still burning. He smiles.

“Jedi Knight Leia Skywalker, huh?” He asks. Her hand closes around his, warm and smooth and wonderful.

“Actually, people are always getting Jedi titles wrong…” but she trails off when he sees how utterly uninterested he is, and instead retorts “Prince Han Organa of Alderaan, huh?”, and grins as he leans in to kiss her.

* * *

A week later:

 

It's in the middle of the night when the door bell rings. Luke, who has just finished a draft for the law Mom and him want to bring to the senate tomorrow and was planning to leave for the Temple (and his bed), hurries downstairs.

In the dim light of the two Coruscanti moons he recognizes Winter Organa, a bag flung over her back, looking annoyed and a bit resigned.

“Your sister and my brother are at my place, doing things no little sister wants to see. You don't happen to have a spare bed, do you?” She says, very deadpan.

“Sure. Come in.” Luke smiles.

**Author's Note:**

> Check us out on tumblr [lukeleiahan](http://lukeleiahan.tumblr.com/). [darkmagyk](http://darkmagyk.tumblr.com/).


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